Civil Rights Advocates Arrested for Trying to Deliver over 110 Thousand Petitions to MLB Commissioner Selig Asking to Move the Game out of AZ

National, local organizations demand Major League Baseball team owners put people before money

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, five civil rights advocates were arrested during their attempt to deliver over 110 thousand petitions to Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Bud Selig, asking him to move the 2011 All-Star Game out of Arizona. The arrests occurred during this month’s quarterly MLB team owners’ Meeting in Minneapolis as advocates approached the meeting to hand-over the petitions.

“Today, we are at the MLB team owners’ meeting on behalf of more than 110,000 civil rights advocates and baseball fans who are calling on Bud Selig to keep America’s top pastime as a social institution,” stated Carlos Roa from Presente.org. “Instead of acknowledging our massive demand to protect civil rights, Commissioner Selig has refused for the second time to receive our petitions and has allowed civil rights advocates to get arrested during this peaceful action.”

In a clear recognition of the threat posed by Arizona’s anti-immigrant and racial profiling law SB 1070, MLB teams are providing trainings and identification cards to players in the event they are racially profiled or harassed in Arizona. Nonetheless, Commissioner Selig fails to state whether or not he would move the game out of Arizona. Numerous players, managers and coaches have already spoken out against the law, and several have said they will refuse to participate in the 2011 All-Star Game scheduled in Arizona.

The rally and protest is part of the national MoveTheGame.org campaign – a coalition of organizations led by Presente.org and MoveOn.org, which has coordinated several rallies, protests and other events across the country in reaction to Arizona’s passage of SB 1070.

“It is obvious that Commissioner Selig cares more about the profits of baseball than protecting the human and civil rights of players and fans. We won’t rest until Commissioner Selig and MLB team owners stand on the right side of history,” stated Roa.